At a restaurant, my rice came out, but the bowl was too hot. I had no choice but to leave it on the table and eat with a spoon, and everyone sitting next to me was eating the same way. An international student said something like this. "In our country, it's good manners to pick up your rice bowl when you eat. In Korea it's the opposite, so I was really surprised." ## The rice bowl stays on the table In Korea, you might get scolded by an elder if you eat while holding your rice bowl. There's a saying, "Holding your rice bowl while eating makes you look like a beggar." It comes from the old image of beggars going around with a bowl in hand to get rice. So the proper way is to leave the bowl on the table and lean your body forward a little as you eat. ## Hot Metal Bowls There's a practical reason behind the etiquette, too. Korean rice bowls and soup bowls are often made of metal, such as stainless steel or brass. Metal conducts heat well, so when you fill a bowl with hot rice or soup, it's hard to pick up by hand. Stew also still comes out bubbling and boiling. Since you can't lift the bowls, eating with them left on the table became a habit, and I think that habit hardened into etiquette. That's why the spoon is important in Korea. There are lots of soupy dishes, so both rice and soup are eaten with a spoon. You almost never have to put a bowl to your mouth. ## Try it at a restaurant - Eat rice and soup with a spoon, and side dishes with chopsticks. - Metal bowls can have hot rims, so be careful. - Don't stick your spoon upright in your rice. It resembles what is done at ancestral rites, so many people find it uncomfortable. It may feel awkward at first, but once you try it, you'll find that a spoon is much more convenient.